Handbook Template

The Handbook template brings related messages together as one readable handbook. Families can browse topics, jump to sections within a topic, translate the handbook, and download a PDF when downloads are enabled on that website.

Handbooks are maintained as website content in CommCenter. Edit the messages that make up the handbook rather than maintaining a separate Word document or uploading a replacement PDF after every change.

This guide is for administrators who manage pages and their assigned messages. School contributors should send handbook changes to the Communication Department unless their role gives them the required access.

How the Template Uses Messages

Message order determines the structure. The first message has a different purpose from every message after it:

Page position	Message fields	Handbook use
First message: introduction	Title and Summary	The online page heading and introductory summary.
First message: introduction	Details	Introductory text on the PDF cover. These Details are not displayed in the online page header.
Second message onward: topics	Title	A topic name in the Topics navigation and the topic's heading.
Second message onward: topics	Summary	A short introduction above that topic's full content.
Second message onward: topics	Details	The complete topic, including its sections, lists, tables, and in-body images and links.

Keep required information in a topic

Put information families need to read online in a topic message. Do not place a required policy or instructions only in the first message's Details: those Details belong to the PDF cover, not the online handbook body.

The Topics navigation uses the assigned messages in their page order. Selecting a topic shows its full content. Topics with Heading 2 sections in their Details also have expandable section links. On smaller screens, visitors use the Topics control to open the navigation. A section link can also open an enclosing accordion so the selected content is visible.

The Handbook Help button explains downloads, dates, and automated translations to families. The PDF includes all topics, including topics that were not selected on screen. It follows the same message order and adds page-numbered Contents.

Create or Configure a Handbook Page

1. Select the correct school or district organization in CommCenter and open Website > Pages.
2. Create the page under the appropriate parent, or open the existing handbook page.
3. On Settings, select the Handbook page template. Confirm the page's organization and ownership.
4. On SEO, review the page title, description, URL slug, and parent page. The introductory message supplies the visible handbook heading; the page's metadata still needs a useful title and description.
5. Create or locate the handbook's messages. On Content, use Add Content to attach the existing messages.
6. Use the message ordering controls to place the introduction first, followed by the topics in the intended reading order. Save the page.

Creating a Handbook template entry alone does not add new website behavior. Use the supported template already configured for the website. See Website Templates and Website Pages for general setup.

Example Message Order

Position	Message title	Suggested content
1	School Handbook	A concise welcome in Summary; any PDF-cover introduction in Details.
2	Attendance	Absence reporting, tardiness, and procedures.
3	Student Expectations	Conduct expectations and where to get help.
4	Health and Safety	Health procedures, emergency information, and contacts.

Use one message per main topic. A very long topic can have several sections within its Details; it does not need a separate message for every paragraph. Avoid attaching the same message twice, since repeated placement repeats the content in the handbook.

Write and Format Topic Messages

Give each topic a short, distinct Title. Write a Summary that introduces that topic without repeating its entire Details. Put the complete information in Details, even if the message is also used on a separate detail page.

Headings and Section Navigation

The template supplies the handbook's page heading and each topic heading automatically. Do not repeat a topic's title as the first heading in its Details.

Use Heading 2 in the message editor for the topic's main sections, then Heading 3 for subsections within those sections. Continue in order if more levels are needed. The handbook adjusts these body headings below the topic heading when displaying or printing them: an editor Heading 2 becomes a Heading 3 within the handbook.

For example, an Attendance message might contain Heading 2 sections called Reporting an Absence and Late Arrival. These become section choices under Attendance in the Topics navigation. Bold text, large text, and empty spacer paragraphs do not create section navigation. See Formatting.

Links, Images, and Interactive Content

Put necessary links in the message body with labels that describe their destination. A handbook topic shows the full message, so it does not require the Detail Link used by landing and wayfinding pages. Existing Detail Links are omitted from the handbook's displayed detail-link control. Body links to uniquely matched included topics can navigate within the handbook and become internal links in the PDF.

Place essential images in Details using the editor's image tools, and review their alt text. An image attached only on the Images tab, a sidebar link, or another surrounding website feature is not a substitute for information in the handbook body. In particular, the PDF uses in-body content and supported action links rather than copying the entire website layout.

Use real lists and tables rather than spaces, screenshots of text, or visual formatting that only looks like a list or table. Add clear table headers. Accordions expand for PDF output. Videos and embedded interactive views need a reviewed print alternative; a PDF cannot play a video or reproduce a live dashboard. Ask the Communication Department for help if essential content depends on an embed or export reports content needing review.

Avoid placing action buttons or unrelated attached links on the introductory message. The online header and PDF cover do not reproduce all of its message features, and unmapped introduction content can prevent PDF export. Use a topic message for those resources.

Reuse Messages Carefully

District messages can be shared across school handbooks. Editing a shared message can affect every page that uses it. Check the message's Where Used tab before changing its wording or publishing settings. Keep shared text appropriate for all of its audiences; use a separate school-owned topic for school-specific instructions when needed.

Saving a message does not make Draft, expired, or future-scheduled content available to families. Review publishing status and dates for both the page and its topic messages. Do not allow a required topic to expire unintentionally.

Review and Publish

Before making the handbook available, check:

• The introduction is first, and the handbook has at least one topic after it.
• Topic order, titles, summaries, and body headings are correct.
• Every required policy is visible online, not only on the PDF cover or in an attachment.
• Shared messages have the correct audience and current content.
• Page and message publishing settings make the content publicly available.
• Links work, images have useful alternatives, and tables remain readable.
• Topics and section navigation work on the public page and on a small screen.
• English and any required translated PDFs download successfully and include all topics.

Save and publish the content, then follow Website Publishing when the page structure, template, or website integration needs a rebuild. Review the public handbook as well as the editor preview. A message preview alone does not show the assembled handbook or prove that PDF export will succeed.

For availability, generation dates, translations, and download troubleshooting, see Handbook PDFs and Translations.